iAm Not That Tough
by chasingafterstarlight
Summary: Sam has everyone fooled, thinking she's some tough girl, when really she's been falling for the only boy in her class, Freddie, from the beginning, and it's only causing heartbreak. AU. Seddie, minor Creddie, other pairings maybe
1. Chapter 1

**Hi people.**

**Today I had **_**zero **_**inspiration for my other fics so I decided to start a new one and see where it goes. It's an AU fic and I don't know if I should continue it or just stop writing about it.**

**Review and tell me what you think!**

**iAm Not That Tough**

_Prologue_

She moves there in the eighth grade, as does he (_coincidence? I think not)._

By some weird twist of fate he turns out to be the only guy in their grade. He's a class ahead of her in Math, but _every other class _she's stuck with him in.

Because of her tomboy-ish qualities, he becomes close to her rather than the other girls in her grade. He seems to be a nice guy, if not a bit on the dorky side. He's okay at sports, not the most amazing guy in the world. He's awfully good at Math and technology stuff, but horrible at spelling (which, by coincidence, is her strong point). The boy is not good at music, either (another one of her best areas).

But by coincidence or not, he falls for her best friend.

Carly's an artistic genius. She's forever drawing pictures and he seems to be impressed by them (_considering they're both terrible artists)_. Carly's also beautiful, sweet and just the all-around perfect girl on the outside. He's never seen the selfish, petty side of her that _she _has seen and probably never will.

She's only heard a rumor from a trusted friend of hers, Wendy. Wendy takes the opportunity to rub it into her face and though it truly stings, she doesn't let it show. She just nods and takes it all in.

She doesn't cry (_no, she's too strong for that) _but instead just stares into space for the rest of the night. She tries to recover during the long summer before school begins.

But she knows that she'll never fully recover.

She's never told Carly about her crush, it would make it even more humiliating when they find out for sure that he likes Carly.

But when she sees him again that first time at fellowship for the first time in 2 months, she falls all over again.

He's grown out his shaggy brown hair and his deep brown eyes are even better than she remembers. She sighs silently as he smiles at her then turns back to his friends.

She doesn't know what to do (_how to feel_) because she just can't like him and put her heart up for risk once again, just to have it broken when he lets her down gently (because he's never violent like she is) and she's _rejected _once again.

She just plasters a smile on her face and resumes talking to Carly and Wendy.

Because all he sees her as is a tomboy girl (_one of the guys_) that he enjoys arguing with lots during classes. They don't ever hang out outside of class or any other time, just when she's the only option (_other than Carly, but she'd always thought they'd all talked the same amount_) so it makes her feel like he only talks to her when there's no one better to talk to.

She's now scared for school to start because there's 3 more guys in their class this year which means she'll be even lower on his list to talk to.

But she doesn't tell anyone about all of this because she's _Sam Puckett _and Sam Puckett doesn't obsess over guys, especially one _Freddie Benson._

**Confusing, right?**

**Remember that it's an **_**AU **_**fic. I've changed some of the characters. Their personalities are the same but now Carly's an artistic girl, Freddie's a dork with a bit of jock, and Sam has more feelings now plus she's a bit smarter. But don't worry! Seddie still fights.**

**The background will be explained more thoroughly in the next chapter.**

**Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys!**

**Thanks for the awesome reviews: hannahpie45 (Thanks a lot! Glad you like it!), XxXSeddieFreakXxX (Thanks a lot!), Mari13ssa (don't worry, they will be a **_**tiny bit **_**OOC but I'm not changing TOO much), randaru102 (Thanks so much!), franc14 (Thanks! It will, maybe ****), e s c r i t u r a . c h i c a (thanks so much!), Eclypsexx, lightningsnow66, tokiokizora, Nothing2Say and popcornchicken66.**

**Hope you guys like it! Please review!**

_**Chapter 1**_

She sees him on the first day of their freshman year. His dark brown eyes meet her blue ones, and she forces a smile. "Hey, Fredwardo."

"Hi, Sam," he greets, nodding as he turns back to his friends.

Sam sighs, placing her head on the table. _At least Carly's not here today, _she thinks. She'd never thought before that she'd wish for her best friend not to be here, but here she is, wishing just that.

A friend of hers, Wendy, comes and sits down beside her. "Hey, Sam."

Sam brightens up just a little bit. "Yo, Wendy."

"How was your vacation?" Wendy questions.

Sam grins. "Oh, it was great! I got to eat all this awesome ham and chiz. Carls and I went to that new amusement park, you know, Meat World, and it was lots of fun. How bout you?"

"My summer was pretty good, too," Wendy replies. "I talked to Shane, the guy that's a grade above us? He's really nice, and I think he could maybe be interested in me!"

"That's great, Wendy," Sam nods, wishing secretly that the guy she _secretly_ liked could pay a lick of attention to her.

A tall guy (obviously their new Social Studies teacher, the Social Studies position at their school is much like the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts- they've had 3 teachers in 3 years) walks into the room. "Hello, I'm Mr. Pionnani."

"Panini?" Sam cracks up. "Isn't that an awesome Italian food?"

Mr. Pionnani glares at her. "Yes, yes it is, but my name is _Pionnani. _Pee-oh-nan-i."

Sam smirks and leans back in her seat. "Sure. Sure it is." She can feel Freddie's eyes on her, probably wondering _what the heck is wrong with her_ but she doesn't care because it feels so good.

The class passes quickly, the usual boy-girl split even more defined today. Sam, Wendy, Tureen, Tasha, Kathy, Valerie, Shannon, Missy and Carly, when she gets back, are the girls in the freshman/sophomore classes. Sam is friends with Kathy, Wendy, Tureen, Tasha and of course, Carly. She's on okay terms with Shannon but _can't stand _Valerie or Missy.

As if on some _sick _cue, both Missy and Valerie burst into simultaneous giggles. Sam turns to glare at them as the teacher says,"You two girls in the back. What are your names?"

"I'm Valerie and she's Missy," Valerie tells him, a sweet smile gracing her evil face.

"Well, Valerie, Missy, is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" Mr. Pionnani raises an eyebrow.

"No, sir," Missy also smiles sweetly.

As Mr. Pionnani resumes talking about how his class would go, Sam turns and glares at them. "You guys are annoying."

"Oh, yeah?" Missy raises an eyebrow. "Maybe we were laughing at your face."

Sam scowls at them. "Gosh, Missy. I didn't know that it was Halloween today."

Confusion makes its way onto Missy's face, and she exchanges a glance with Valerie. "Halloween is in October, Sam_antha_, in case you were stupid enough to forget."

"Oh, then that's your normal face?" Sam shoots Missy a pitying look. "I thought it was supposed to be a scary mask. My mistake."

"You know what, Sam?" Missy roars.

Sam smirks, holding up a fist. Everyone knows of Sam's great strength. "What, Missy?" she challenges.

"Enough!" Mr. Pionnani yells. Missy and Sam quiet down. "You two girls. Detention, after school, tomorrow."

Freddie laughs. "You guys are so funny."

Sam feels a little bit of hope shoot through her veins. _Maybe there was a slight possibility that he did like her…or maybe there was a possibility that he liked Missy. Blech_.

"You too, Mr. Benson," Mr. Pionnani tells him.

Freddie's eyes grow wide. "What? Why?" Freddie was a good boy, he hardly ever (_if never_) got detention.

"For encouraging them," Mr. Pionnani scowls. "Now, shall we move on or does someone else want to join them?"

Exchanging horrified glances, the class just shook their heads. Freddie's three friends, the sophomore guys (Gibby, Shane and Jeremy) just patted Freddie's back and shook their heads.

Wendy showed Sam a piece of paper she'd written a note on. _Sorry, Sam. Good luck with your detention._

_ I know, right? _Sam wrote back. _The annoying goody-goody and my worst enemy and me trapped in a room for a few hours. _

Wendy just shakes her head, looking concerned. Sam doesn't really care about getting detention (she had detention _at least _once a week last year) but she's much more concerned about being stuck with her current crush and her worst enemy for a few hours.

_Life always finds a way to come back and bite you in the butt, huh? _The bell rings and along with the other RPS (Ridgeway Private School) students, Sam files out of the classroom.

She glances down the hallway and is met with white and green. White or green polos with khaki shorts are the required uniform for all RPS secondary students. She sighs and stands there for a minute before heading to her locker.

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The funniest (brightest?) part of her day is during English class.

She's teasing her friend Tasha about Tasha's obvious crush on Gibby, when Tasha says, "Aw, Sam, it's the same as _your _crush on Freddie."

Glancing around nervously to see if anyone had heard, she replies, "What? NO! I don't like Freddie, you know that."

"Sure you don't," Tasha sings. "Sam, it's the same thing."

"It's not the same," Sam retorts, realizing that everyone is watching them but not wanting to lose.

"It is the same," Tasha tells her.

"Is not," Sam shoots back.

"Same."

"Not."

"Same."

"Not."

Freddie butts in. "Yeah, Sam, it's the same."

Tasha and Sam glance at each other and burst out laughing. Tureen, who'd been watching the whole time, is almost _crying _she's laughing so hard.

Freddie looks confused. "What? What did I say?"

"Nothing," Sam tells him automatically. "Don't worry your little head about it, Fredward."

Freddie looks a little insulted, as he always is whenever someone calls him by his real name. "Okay, whatever."

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Carly gets back from her cruise around the Pacific the next day.

From one glance, Sam can already tell that Carly's gotten even prettier. Her brown hair is even longer and wavier. Her pale skin is a little tanner, she's a little taller and a little more developed. She's even wearing makeup this year. Sam winces, knowing that Freddie will probably like her even more now and just ignore Sam.

_As usual._

Sam's not exactly looking forward to school the next day.

But, covering up her feelings _(as always) _she hugs Carly and tells her how glad she is to see her _(yeah, right_). Carly tells her all about the cruise she'd gone on for a week that'd caused her to miss the first day of school. She'd met tiger tamers, gone to other countries and more.

All Sam has to tell about are the funny things that had happened at school the previous day.

Odd, isn't it, that Sam was glad she'd actually gone the first day, rather than go on an exotic cruise?

She doesn't mention this to Carly though.

_Of course not._

**Well, there you go!  
Yeah, Sam and Carly and Freddie go to a private school. All the girls and guys mentioned are **_**actual iCarly characters. **_**I don't own iCarly! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, peeps!**

**Ah, so few reviews! But thanks to: XxXSeddieFreakXxX (Thanks a lot!), Mari13ssa (Thanks a lot! No, Ms. Briggs is still here, a lot of characters will be the same I think), Chanii3220 (Haha, thanks a lot!), Hinote Tora and willec2005. It would be great if you guys would review so I would know whether or not to continue with my story!**

**Thanks a lot!**

_**Chapter 2**_

"You already have detention on the second day?" Carly reprimands, shaking her head.

Sam nods. "Honestly, Carls, what did you expect?"

Carly doesn't answer. "What did you do this time?"

"What do you think? Missy, of course," Sam rolls her eyes.

Carly sighs. "Sam…" She isn't Missy's biggest fan, but being _Carly _of course she is civil to her, which Sam finds to be impossible. Carly _just can't understand _why Sam conflicts with Missy so often.

"I know, I know," Sam groans. "I shouldn't let her get to me. But I did, Carls, and now I'm stuck in detention with Missy…and Freddie Benson."

Carly nods her head. "Well, Sam, it's your…"

"I know, it's my own fault, you don't have to rub it in," Sam growls. "Well, we better get to class."

Shaking her head, Carly heads off to class. Of course, Freddie Benson comes down the stairs then.

"You ready for detention, Benson?" Sam asks.

He shoots her a friendly glare. "It's pretty much your fault, Puckett."

"How so?" She retorts.

"You and Missy are really funny when you fight," he tells her before he heads off to class. She follows behind, processing the words in her mind.

_Really funny. Freddie Benson thinks I'm really funny._

_Interesting._

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During Bible class, rather than sit beside her supposed _best friend _(yeah, right), Carly chooses to sit in the front row, closer to Freddie than Sam but not exactly beside him.

_Blech._

Carly is sketching something, and as Sam peers a bit closer she sees the faint outline of a dog, Freddie's favorite animal (_she has no idea how she knows this, but she does)_. The dog is terrific (_as is everything Carly draws)._

Gibby Gibson (who is seated beside Carly) leans over and peers at Carly's sketch. "Wow, Carly! You're so good at drawing!"

This, of course, attracts the attention of everyone in the class. They gather around Carly and stare at it, exclaiming over how _good _it is.

Smiling, Sam doesn't show her pain even when Freddie goes over and joins those that are in awe.

She doesn't know what _her_ talent is (and isn't sure she'll ever know). She enjoys music and singing, but this area is not encouraged at RPS, considering they do not have a choir and their music class is all about music _theory._

No one (_but Carly, of course) _knows about her musical 'talent'. Sam doesn't know if it's a talent because she doesn't think it counts if no one knows about it. Plus, she doesn't really think she's all that good at singing.

So she _covers it up _instead of putting it out there in the open like Carly for fear of being _rejected._

Because rejection is Sam Puckett's biggest fear (but she doesn't tell anyone).

Ms. Briggs comes in then, shooing all of the high schoolers back to their seats and _away from Carly's incredible talent._

And though Ms. Briggs is usually Sam's _least _favorite teacher, she can't help but to feel gratitude towards the annoying woman.

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Detention that day is interesting, to say the least.

They sit in the room, each of them in a corner. Mr. Howard is (sadly) the supervisor for today's detention.

"Hello, children," His horrible voice booms over the entire room. "Since you are all such delinquents, you have been placed under my care for this hour. However, I have more important things to do than to watch juvenile delinquents, so you children have to stay here, absolutely silent, and hopefully be bored to death."

Freddie snickers, and Mr. Howard's gaze swoops over to him. "Is there something you'd like to add, Mr. Benson?"

Freddie struggles to keep a straight face. "No, sir."

"Good," Mr. Howard glares at the three of them through his beady eyes. "I'll be going now, then."

The three 'delinquents' are left alone.

"Gosh," Freddie shudders. "His voice is going to haunt me in my nightmares."

Sam nods. "Agreed. He's a little creepy."

"A little?" A small smile is curving on to Freddie's face.

"A lot," Sam confirms.

Missy (_who's obviously super jealous) _just sits there, a scowl covering her face. "Your face is going to haunt me in my nightmares."

"That's not even worthy of a retort," Sam tells her, turning back to the board.

They sit there (_in an awkward silence) _for a few minutes before Freddie finally breaks it. "What's our homework?"

"English and Biology!" Missy responds quickly, excitedly. Both Sam and Freddie shoot her looks that (_hopefully_) tell her how weird and _desperately obvious _she is being.

Freddie finally just nods. "Um, okay."

Awkward silence overwhelms them once again. Sam's the one to break it this time (_she's always hated silence)_. "Um, so… how was your Chinese class?"

"Okay," Freddie states glumly. "We just talked about secrets."

Sam cocks an eyebrow. "Secrets?"

"Yeah," Freddie stares at her, confused. "You know, like things that you don't want to tell others…"

"I know what a secret is," Sam rolls her eyes. "What did you say?"

Freddie's face heats up. "You know, Shannon said she had a boyfriend…"

"What did_ you_ say?" Sam repeats stubbornly.

"IsaidIhadagirfrendinmyastity," Freddie mumbled.

Sam frowns. "You know, I couldn't quite understand that."

"_I said I had a girlfriend in my last city!" _Freddie bursts out. "There, you happy?"

"Thrilled," Sam says emotionlessly. "Wait, do you even have a girlfriend in your last city?"

Freddie shakes his head. "Of course not."

"Liar," She teases.

Missy takes this chance to butt in. "You know, I had a boyfriend once."

"What? Was it a pity date?" Sam replies. "Oh, it must have been, judging by your face."

Missy's face turns red from anger. "Take that back, Puckett!"

"Yeah, that'll happen," Sam smirks. "What are ya gonna do, sic your boyfriend on me?"

Missy scowls. "You're so stupid."

"Not quite as brave without your brainless comrades around, are ya?" Sam grins cockily. "You just use them to make you look smart, which is dumb, cause they actually make you look even dumber."

Freddie just watches them fight with an amused look on his face.

Mr. Howard bursts in then. "I heard voices!"

They all sit there quietly for a few minutes. When he speaks again, he says, "All right, get your butts out of here. The school is closing in five minutes and if you're not out, you'll be forced to jump out of the window. Sadly, I'll be faced with the torture of seeing you all tomorrow."

They all dash to get their stuff and leave. With a quick wave, Freddie leaves on his bike.

Sam sighs as he leaves.

_Why does he have to make it so hard to get over him?_

**Do I keep going? Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys!**

**Thanks to my reviewers: mirage888 (I know! Sorry, no Missy in this chap :P but get ready for some major Missy next chap. But thanks!), seddiefan97 (Thanks a lot! Glad you like it), hannahpie45 (Thank you so much!), Mari13ssa (Thanks so much!), Channii3220 (Thank you!) and ilovesterlingknightxx.**

**Keep reviewing, peeps!**

**Chapter 3**

Sam leans over to her laptop that night. She turns on her iTunes, plugs in some headphones and sings along to the song that pops up on her screen as she begins to write.

Everyone knows it's sappy to keep a diary, so Sam doesn't call it that. She prefers to call it a 'place to write out her thoughts.' No one knows that she writes, and no one has to. It's the way she likes it- a secret wall of privacy.

Suddenly, a messenger window pops up on her screen. It's a new message from Carly.

**Carly: hey**

Groaning internally, she decides it's best to respond. Maybe Carly has something important to say.

**Sam: hey, what's up?**

** Carly: U know, Freddie got an MSN account finally**

** Sam: Wow, for a tech dork he's rly slow on tech stuff.**

** Carly: I know, rite? Anyone who's anyone at this school has an MSN**

** Sam: Ik. Anyway…**

** Carly: did he add u?**

** Sam: Y, did he add u?**

** Carly: Ya **

** Carly: I'm so happy!**

** Sam: Wait a sec.**

She checks out her list of contact request. Sighing, she admits it to herself- he didn't add her, and he added Carly. Acting on an impulse decision, she heads to Carly's profile and finds it easily- Freddie Benson. His name hits her like a slap in the face, but she clicks on the link anyway, then on the button that says **Add as a Friend.**

Her mouse hovers for a second. _Be strong, Sam Puckett, you're not weak, _she mutters internally, then presses as hard as she can.

_Invitation sent._

She clicks back on the Carly window.

**Sam: no, he didn't add me.**

** Carly: Oh **

** Carly: Maybe he will later**

** Sam: yeah…**

** Carly: Wait, y are u guys friends then? On ur profile…?**

** Sam: Oh yeah, I added him.**

** Carly: ?**

** Sam: I'm a strong, independent girl, I don't need to wait on the dude to make the 1****st**** move.**

** Carly: haha nice**

** Carly: guess he accepted**

** Sam: guess so**

** Sam: did u talk to him?**

** Carly: ya**

** Sam: about what?**

** Carly: nothing rly important**

** Carly: he is actually kinda boring to chat w/**

** Sam: k**

** Carly: u should talk w/ him!**

** Sam: y?**

** Carly: u guys r both kinda boring 2 talk to….**

_**Carly has logged off**_

Leaning back on her bed, Sam sighs. Seems like Freddie likes Carly, why would he have sent her an invitation and _not Sam? _Oh well, she might as well message him. He was online…and the only person available…

**Sam: do u know when economics test is?**

As she stares at her computer screen, she exhales slowly. She wonders whether he would bother to message her back or not (_whether or not she is good enough for him)._ Her gasps come back as she hears a dinging sound, and sees the icon for the chat she'd made with Freddie light up.

** Freddie: Wednesday**

** Sam: k thanks**

** Freddie: no prob**

Sam doesn't know what to say at this point, but she does want to keep talking with him, so she adds on.

**Sam: we have economics class tomorrow right?**

She doesn't believe that he would message her back, the conversation was pretty boring. Still, Freddie Benson was a gentleman (one of the few left in the world) so she was thinking he might…

**Freddie: yeah, I think so**

Smiling softly, she debates whether or not to use the word crap with him, but then realizes _oh yeah, I don't care. I'm Sam Puckett- I don't care about what he thinks._

**Sam: crap, only one more day until the test**

** Freddie: I know**

** Freddie: I still haven't done my homework : (**

** Sam: Rly? I did it in class.. but I don't know anything cause I forgot it all**

** Freddie: haha**

** Sam: great, I'm gonna fail**

** Freddie: XD**

** Freddie: yeah me too prob**

** Sam: yeah I guess haha**

** Freddie: uh oh**

** Sam: What?**

** Freddie: My mom just found out I'm on the comp :/**

** Freddie: cya**

** Sam: k bye**

Breathing heavier than usual, Sam closes the chat window and leans back to relax. She doesn't know what just went on (_probably just a boring conversation in his eyes)_, but she does know one thing.

_Freddie Benson is one confusing guy._

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Carly sighs. "Ah, music."

"What's so bad about music?" Sam asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"First, Ms. Ackerman," Carly begins.

Nodding, Sam replies, "Well, yeah, she is an emotional wreck."

"Not to mention the insane amount of homework and stuff she expects us to do," Carly complains.

"I think today will be okay," Sam inserts cautiously. "We're just singing."

"Yeah, singing's okay for you," Carly replies, in quite a nasty tone. Seeing the hurt look on her friend's face, she quickly follows up with, "But I'm sure you'll be great, Sam. You always are."

"Sure," Sam mutters, stepping away and almost landing on top of Freddie.

Freddie blushes. "Sorry."

"No, it was my fault," Sam stammers, regretting it immediately. Since when does Sam take the blame for stuff she does?

Freddie looks confused too. "Uh, it's okay."

Once they get to music class, they immediately realize Ms. Ackerman is in one of her infamous joyously happy moods. "Are you guys ready to sing solos?"

"Solos? It's only the fourth day of school!" Everyone exclaims in unison, shooting each other confused and panicked looks. Sam just leans back in her chair and smiles widely. _This will be a breeze._

Ms. Ackerman nods vigorously. "Yes, I'm sure I mentioned it on Monday….wait, no, I'm sorry. Well, plans can't be changed, so we're singing solos today." Everyone groans but Sam. She's actually a bit excited to show off her voice, but a little nervous. "Oh, yes, Ms. Samantha Puckett."

"It's Sam," Sam growls.

"Sam," She corrects herself. "I've heard amazing things about your voice."

Gibby snorts. "Great things?" But he shuts up quickly when Sam shoots a glare his way.

"Yeah, I guess," Sam responds cautiously.

"How about you go first?" Ms. Ackerman asks. "You Raise Me Up."

"Got it," Sam shoots the class a confident grin, then strides to the front of the room and spins to face the students. In a clear, flawless voice, she begins. "_When I am down, and oh my soul so weary. When troubles come, and my heart burdened be, then I am still and wait here in the silence until you come and wait awhile with me. You raise me up so I can stand on mountains. You raise me up to walk on stormy seas. I am strong when I am on your shoulders. You raise me up to more than I can be."_

As she finishes, she knows it's all worth it to see the shocked expressions on their faces. Freddie is the first to recover and speak. "Well, that was…"

**Ooh, cliffy!**

**Will Freddie like her singing? Or not? You'll find out in the next chapter!**

**Please review for a faster update!**

**Oh, and btw, I don't own iCarly, MSN or You Raise Me Up, sadly. The only reason I picked You Raise Me Up for the song is because we had to sing it in music last year.**

**Review~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys!**

**It's been so long since I've updated this story, sorry about that! Thanks to my great reviewers: .BeautifulDreamer.x (Thanks a lot!), mirage888 (Haha, of course Freddie will love it! And it is a scary thing, I hate IMing guys first. Thanks! XD), SamPuckettAndFreddieBenson (she's my Carly, which is funnier hahaha. Thanks a lot!), xXxWiseGirlxXx (Thanks a lot!), seddiefan97 (haha, yeah, I know! Thanks!), Mari13ssa (K, I will! Here ya go!), Complicated Love (Thanks so much!), randaru102 (Of course! :D Thanks!), pashydeb (Thanks a LOT! Glad you like it!), yo (Haha, guess there must be a lot of us tomboys with perfect friends who steal our crushes! And I know what you mean **** Thanks for the review, glad you like it!), updatesplease (Funny, you posted that right before I was gonna update! I usually just get random one-shot ideas, but I'm gonna update more regularly now) and MandarinWafflesofSaltyness. You guys rock!**

**Get your tissues out, because here comes a (sort of) sad chapter!**

**Chapter 4**

**Previously on iAm Not That Tough**

_As she finishes, she knows it's all worth it to see the shocked expressions on their faces. Freddie is the first to recover and speak. "Well, that was…"_

"Amazing," Freddie finishes. "Sam, I never knew you could sing that well."

Speechless still, all of her other classmates nod their heads in perfect unison.

Sam beams. "Thanks. I love singing, it's incredibly fun."

"So do I," Missy interrupts. "I'm an _amazing _singer, you know. Might I go next, Ms. Ackerman?"

"Do you have the song memorized, Missy?" Ms. Ackerman questions.

Missy rolls her eyes, as if it was totally stupid for Ms. Ackerman even to ask that question. "Of course. I've had it memorized for a while now."

"Then you may go next, Missy," Ms. Ackerman motions to the front and sits down. "Oh, and by the way Samantha, you have a hundred. Of course."

As Sam makes her way back to her seat, Carly high-fives her, Freddie beams at her and Gibby gives her a nod that says, 'That was pretty good, Puckett'. Grinning, she takes her seat, then snickers as she remembers a crucial fact- _Missy can't sing._

At a karaoke party five years ago, Missy had gotten booed off the stage, due to the amount of near-bleeding ears her singing (if you could call it that) had produced.

Carly gives her a _what are you laughing at _look, then she seems to remember, and changes her look to one that is more of a _don't be rude _look. But Sam can't help it, so she keeps snickering.

Ms. Ackerman begins on the piano, and Missy starts in with her warbling. "_When I am dow- wow- wown and oh, my soul! So weary!"_

Shocked looks appear on all their faces again, but this time for a different reason and Sam knows exactly what they are thinking. Gibby bites his plump bottom lip to keep from laughing and Freddie lets out a small laugh. Wendy giggles from behind her hands.

"_When troubles COME and my poor heart burdened beeeeeeee!" _Missy booms. She sounds like a dying goat.

Now even Carly lets out a small giggle. Ms. Ackerman frowns and stops playing. "Missy, I'm afraid you're a bit off key."

"A bit?" Sam comments, which makes the entire class break out into laughter.

"Now, now," Ms. Ackerman calls, and they only laugh harder. Once they finally quiet down, Ms. Ackerman tells them, "You shouldn't laugh at this girl because of her poor singing. Sit down, Missy."

They all try to refrain from laughter as a humiliated Missy returns to her seat.

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Sam logs onto her MSN account after school that day to catch up on all the latest gossip. After careful deliberation, she forms a group chat with Carly and Wendy.

**Sam: Yo Carly**

**Sam: Do u like Freddie? K**

**Carly: yea I like him**

**Wendy: like like? or like? ;)**

**Carly: LIKE LIKE**

Sam blinks twice. Of course she does. Of course she just _has _to like the same guy as Sam.

_Of course._

She isn't sure what to say.

**Sam: K haha, great**

That doesn't give anything away (and hopefully doesn't give any indication that she is being sarcastic).

**Wendy: aww u guys are great together**

Sam sighs. Wendy, like everyone else in the world, has no idea that Sam _likes _Freddie but it still stings whenever she says that (whenever anyone says that). And people say stuff like that _a lot._

**Carly: yea!**

**Wendy: Oh Carly, I have good news for u**

Oh great, this won't end well. She decides that she might as well log off now, but her curiosity gets the best of her (as it always does).

**Sam: …**

There is nothing else for her to say at the moment.

**Carly: yes?**

**Wendy: Shane said to FB that u liked him, and then Shane asked FB do u like Carly during PE… and he didn't answer and just walked faster and Shane said so u do… and he kept quiet… and then Shane said so u do… and he ran away from Shane… so Shane thinks he likes u!**

**Carly: yes… I'm pretty positive he likes me actually!**

**Carly: lol**

Sam's heart drops.

**Wendy: how? Lol**

Sam bites her lip to keep from bursting into tears as she waits for a response.

**Carly: don't tell anyone k?**

**Carly: But on MSN he told me he likes me. Don't tell anyone, Wendy!**

In complete and total shock, Sam clicks X on the conversation box. She knows she has nothing to say to either of them.

_**Sam Puckett has left the conversation.**_

As she sits there, wondering if either of them would message her again (_if either of them cared)_, she suddenly breaks and a solitary tear runs down her face. She rubs at it violently, reminding herself again and again that she doesn't cry, ever. And especially not over some stupid nubby boy.

**Carly: how r u?**

She deliberates whether to message her back, whether to admit what she's been dying not to. Finally she decides to, it doesn't matter now anyway.

**Sam: …not good**

**Carly: why?**

Thinking about it carefully, she finally puts the safe answer.

**Sam: I think u kno why**

**Carly: Freddie thing…**

**Sam: …yeah**

**Carly: maybe u shouldn't take so seriously, because he will probably stop liking me soon anyway.**

**Sam: …sure**

She isn't saying much, her hands are trembling which prevents her from typing. It's not like she'd have much to say if her hands _were _stable.

**Carly: well, we r best friends, so I told u the truth. **

**Sam: I know**

**Carly: and he is ur friend XD**

**Sam: whatever**

**Carly: I thought u didn't even like him? Like that**

**Sam: um, k, about that…**

She was preparing to admit her greatest secret.

**Carly: ahh come on, please don't be mad!**

**Sam: what?**

**Carly: don't be mad because I told u please? I told u because I think I can trust u so I know u won't laugh about it in public…**

**Sam: Why the heck would I laugh at that?**

**Carly: I don't know? I think people already laughed at him for that**

**Sam: I'm just so confused…upset…I don't know what is going on.**

She's telling the truth (_for once)_, she's confused and upset and feels like she wants to go out and kick the wall repeatedly until it finally falls down. She knows how much will change from this moment and she _doesn't want it to_ SO badly.

**Carly: ahh I'm sorry! Maybe I shouldn't have told u if u were gonna be sad…I'm sorry**

**Sam: no, u should've told me, it's fine**

**Carly: but I can trust u right? not to tell or sth?**

**Sam: yeah I guess**

It's not like she wants to tell anyone, it'll just make her even more upset.

**Carly: okok!**

**Sam: I wanted to kno, but it still doesn't feel that good. U don't know how lucky u are.**

**Carly: just don't hate me please!**

**Sam: I don't hate u**

**Carly: k good. Sorry to tell u over msn!**

**Sam: it's ok, it's better u don't see how I react… I think**

**Carly: all right**

She finally just logs out of MSN, and she's NOT looking forward to school the next day.

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She wears a lot of eyeliner the next day, a sign of mourning since she can't wear black like she wants to (_not that anyone cares, anyway). _Of course the first person she runs into is Missy.

"Hello, Samantha," Missy sneers.

"Hi, Loser Who Sings Like a Dying Cow," Sam retorts.

Valerie looks confused. "Dying cows can't _sing._"

"Exactly," Sam rolls her eyes. Valerie's the stupidest person she's ever met.

"Oh, puh-leez," Missy snorts. "You're just jealous that Freddie likes _me _better."

Sighing, Sam finally says, "He doesn't like either of us _that way_, Missy. Just trust me."

"What do you mean?" Missy asks frantically, but Sam's already walking off toward her locker when suddenly she bumps into someone with a pair of brown eyes. _Deep _brown eyes.

Oh, crap.

**Ooh, cliffy!**

**Poor Sam. Her MSN conversations in this chap are exact copy/paste from the ones I had with my friend about my crush… well, it's better now, I won't tell you why, that'll ruin an upcoming chapter! But get ready for a lot of drama coming your way!**

**Like this chapter? Review!**

**Like this story or any others by me? Head to my profile and vote for your fav!**

**REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! Long time no see, yeah? I'M SO SORRY! I know it's been like, almost two months, which is unforgivable! Hopefully you didn't forget about me! But I'm back, and I promise I'll try to update more regularly. I have SO SO many excuses: school, keeping up with the guy I like, etc etc, but I won't use them. SORRY, SORRY, SORRY (as Super Junior would say)**

**Random thought: Any of you Harry Potter fans? Friday night I got to see Harry Potter 7, since I live in China, and it was amazing! Do you guys think Harry or Ron is better?**

**Anyway, thanks to my reviewers: updatesplease (sorry!, here you go though), hunnybunnysweetiepie (Aw man, sorry for the wait! Thanks for the review and your compliments, and yes, I am a girl XD and sure, deal, cause I'll be updating more frequently now), Romance and Musicals (Thanks, lol! Yeah, I love HP, it's amazing), heey (no, he didn't hear, thankfully for Sam :D But she's not really in a mood to see him…Thanks for the review! Glad you like), Mari13ssa (Thanks! Maybe you do :D), xXxWIseGirlxXx(Haha, maybe. I haven't met too many Valeries, so I wouldn't know! Thanks for reviewing), mirage888 (Yeah, my life is super dramatic and crazy but I love it! Maybe I will, we're certainly becoming closer XD. Yeah I do that too! Easier to write about stuff you've experienced, yeah? Thanks for reviewing) and Geekquality (Thanks a lot!). Keep reviewing please!**

Chapter 5

**Previously on iAm Not That Tough**

_"What do you mean?" Missy asks frantically, but Sam's already walking off toward her locker when suddenly she bumps into someone with a pair of brown eyes. __Deep __brown eyes._

_Oh, crap._

"Hey, Puckett," Freddie says in his normal, friendly way.

Too bad Sam's not in the mood for 'normal friendliness'. "I heard about you and Carly," She sneers, frowning just a little bit.

Looking a little confused, he shrugs, and then a smile breaks out on his face at just the _mention _of her name. Sam grits her teeth as he begins to speak. "Yeah, I figured she'd tell you, you guys being best friends and all. I'm super psyched, you know, I've liked her for a while now."

"Good for you, Fredward," Sam hisses. Shoving into his side, she starts walking off. "I don't want to hear about this."

"You don't like the idea of Carly and me as a couple?" Freddie asks, confused.

She turns around, mouth twisted in a scowl. "It makes me want to puke up blood."

His face twists in confusion now. She doesn't stop to look at him, but instead walks off like she has a place to go.

_As if_.

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One day that week, Sam's phone rings. Confused (_not many people have been calling her recently_), she picks up on the first ring without so much as a glance at the Caller ID.

"Sam?" A girly voice rings in her ear.

Sighing, she responds, "What do you want, Carly?"

A hurt Carly replies, "I thought you said you aren't mad at me."

"I'm not," Sam lies. "But why are you calling me?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out, go to Groovy Smoothie," Carly says cautiously. "But since you hate me now…I mean, I was gonna buy for both of us…"

Sam hesitates for a second, weighing her options. Food outweighs anger in her mind, so she replies, "Meet you there in an hour."

"An hour?" Carly questions quizzically.

"I just woke up," Sam explains.

"Ah," Sam can almost feel Carly nodding on the other end. "All right. See ya in an hour."

Resisting the urge to just crawl back into bed and stay there, Sam climbs out of bed. She heads to the bathroom to get ready.

_Why did I agree to this_? She thinks as she brushes her teeth.

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However, Sam is greeted with a shock once she arrives at the Groovy Smoothie. Carly isn't sitting by herself as Sam had expected her to be, no, she's sitting with the one and only Fredward Karl Benson.

In an opposite corner, the red-headed _demon _Missy is sitting by herself, watching them. She's grasping a straw. But she's not sipping through it; instead, she's punching holes in her drink with it, stabbing it. Which is exactly what Sam feels like doing now. _Not _going to sit with them.

But she musters up all her strength and courage and goes to the corner where Carly is.

"Hi, Carly," She says pointedly, in a way that implies that she thought that only Carly was going to be here.

"Oh. Hey, Sam," Carly glances at her watch. "Has it been an hour already? I guess time flies when you're having fun, eh, Freddie?"

"Yeah," Freddie replies nervously. Glancing at Sam's angry face, he stutters, "Don't worry, I was just leaving."

Biting her lip to keep from saying anything she'll regret, Sam spits out, "Good," and slides into the seat across from Carly.

The brunette boy that both girls like grins at Carly. "Bye, Carly."

"Bye, Freddie," She answers, a blush forming on her face. Once he is gone, she turns to Sam. "Sorry about that. I didn't realize you were coming so soon."

"No…_problem_," Sam hisses. She's honestly trying not to say anything mean to Carly.

"Yeah," Carly blushes like the girly-girl she is. "I was here alone, and I got really bored. Then I remembered how _close _Freddie lives, so I texted him and asked him to come here. He agreed and then showed up. But, you know, it was pretty awkward and everything. I'd suppose that's how most first dates are. He hardly talked-"

"Wait a minute," Sam interjected. "It was a _date_?"

Carly turns even redder. "Well, I don't know. I don't _think _we're boyfriend and girlfriend yet."

"Yet?" questions Sam.

"Well, I like him," Carly states it like it's obvious. Which it probably is- meaning that Sam must be pretty oblivious. "And he likes me. That means we're probably predestined to get together sometime." Clasping her hands on the table, she goes off on another tangent. "You know, it was really awkward. _Gibby _showed up here and saw us. He asked what we were doing here alone together- as if it wasn't obvious!" Carly giggled. "But, you know, he seemed pretty angry. Jealous, should I say?"

"You think Gibby likes you?" Sam inquires.

"I don't know," Carly twists her hands together on top of the table. "He _is _pretty cute. Oh, man, what am I saying? I'm going out with Freddie- I can't be thinking romantic thoughts about _Gibby _of all people!"

Sam's eyebrow shoots up. "Wow."

"I mean, sure, Freddie's incredibly boring, but he's still cuter than Gibby!" Carly continues.

"Boring? Why?" Sam puts in.

"He doesn't really seem to have much to say," Carly shrugs. "I usually started the conversation. And when I asked him what he was thinking about, he said, 'I'm thinking of something to say!'"

"Oh." Sam just summarizes her thoughts. "Um, boring."

"I know!" Carly squeals. "But still, at least he likes me!"

"Yeah," Sam whispers quietly. "At least you have that."

_Unlike me._

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"Carly!" Wendy runs up to Carly at her locker the next day. "You're going to _die _once I tell you what I just saw. And not in the good way."

"Is there a good way to die?" Sam retorts. Wendy shoots her a confused look, so she shuts her mouth.

Still confused, Wendy continues, "Freddie got his hair cut!"

"What?" Carly exclaims, frowning. "Oh, crap! Does it look…"

"Incredibly dorky," Wendy cuts in, laughing. "You wouldn't _believe _it."

Hanging her head, Carly whispers, "Does he still look cute?"

Wendy shakes her head. "In fact, he might even look even worse than Gibby. I feel bad for you, Carly."

"You know, it's not all about appearance," Sam puts in. The other two girls shoot her incredulous looks.

"So you would date an ugly guy, Sam?" Wendy chortles. "Aw, man, Carly, come on, and follow me. I'll show you the horrific-ness."

Interested, Sam follows behind the pair until her eyes finally land on the brunette boy. "Hey, Carly," Freddie says.

His hair is, like, _shorn._

It doesn't fall around his face and frame it perfectly like it used to. In fact, it's cut in the ugly bowl cut that Sam so despises. However, she's _not _pleased to find that her heart still speeds up when she sees him. Her palms still sweat, and she's still nervous.

_Oh, well, _Sam sighs internally. _Guess this proves that I don't base my crushes on appearance or this guy would be so dead to me._

"He looks horrible," Carly whispers loudly to Wendy.

Cracking up, Wendy hisses through laughter, "Yeah, I know. Poor, poor you, Carly."

"I know. What am I going to do?" Carly wails.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sam sees Missy, a malicious grin on her face. Turning to her companion Valerie, Missy says loud enough for Carly to hear (which was probably her intent), "Told ya this would happen. That loser Carly only likes guys when they look good enough for her or have hair that is long enough to meet her standards."

"I can't help my hormones," Carly yells back, upset.

Sam can't help but wonder how Freddie is oblivious to all of this. She wishes she was. She wishes that, at this point, she wasn't agreeing with _Missy _over her best friend. She wishes that what Missy was saying wasn't true.

But it is.

Carly only likes guys when they look good enough.

Suddenly, Freddie whips around, obviously having been told what was going on by one of his guy friends. "Is that true, Carly?"

Carly's mouth falls open.

**A/N: Not too good. But yeah, cliffy again. I didn't mean to make Carly so… vain, narcissistic but one of my friends is like this and I think it's hilarious. Anyone for Cibby? XD**

**Yeah, so much (has) happened that I can't wait to write about! So get ready for some more mafan stories coming to your computer screen!**

**REVIEW (if you're not super mad at me for not updating)**


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